N.Y. Federation Sees 11% Drop in Campaign Dollars

By JTA July 6, 2009

The country’s largest Jewish federation announced that its 2008-09 fund-raising campaign dropped 11.5 percent from the previous year.

UJA-Federation of New York said it brought in $136 million, down from $153.7 million.

Its announcement comes after the umbrella organization for the federation system, the United Jewish Communities, announced last week that the combined campaigns for the federations for 2008-2009 were up 1.3 percent over the previous year, but that total fund raising for the current year was off by 13 percent.

Despite the decrease, the New York federation said it was encouraged by its numbers.

While the general fund-raising campaign was down, the federation raised $215.3 million in total, including $60.5 million in Planned Giving & Endowments, for an overall increase of 1 percent.

“Down campaigns are never easy, but by most accounts, down 11.5 percent is still extraordinary in this changed economic world,” the president and CEO of the federation, John Ruskay, said in a news release. “Raising $136 million reflects the faith and recognition of the unique role of UJA-Federation in providing the infrastructure for caring, and Jewish education for the Jewish people locally and globally.

“This year was exceedingly challenging for every nonprofit. Closing at $136 million is a huge accomplishment.”

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